Man Utd’s Harry Maguire spotted making gesture seconds before gaffe

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire was caught on camera calling for the ball moments before his calamitous error gifted Sevilla the lead in their Europa League quarter-final second-leg tie. Goalkeeper David de Gea had taken plenty of flak for playing the pass in the first place, but supporters have shifted blame back onto Maguire since noticing his blatant gesture.

Maguire has been given a cold, hard dose of reality this season as United boss Erik ten Hag routinely picks Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane as his starting centre-back duo. However, with both players recently struck down by injury, Maguire was chosen to start against Sevilla.

Sporting the captain’s armband, the England international defender did not shy away from getting involved in build-up from the back during the early stages of the match – which was finely poised at 2-2 after the first leg.

But that came back to bite him when he clumsily gave the ball away with just over seven minutes on the clock, allowing Youssef En-Nesyri to steal in and give the hosts an aggregate lead for the first time in the tie.

While many, including BT Sport co-commentator and United academy product Robbie Savage, pointed the finger at De Gea for giving the ball to the poorly-placed Maguire in the first place, footage showing the former Leicester man gesturing for a pass has forced onlookers to rethink.

It marked another agonising moment for the 30-year-old, who has faced heavy criticism in recent years for broadly failing to make the grade at Old Trafford following an £80million move in 2019.

“If you were Maguire sitting there as a centre-back and he’s got Luke Shaw in front of him, he will be thinking ‘I’ve got to leave Old Trafford’,” he told talkSPORT earlier this year. “He might say it’s a tactical decision for whatever reason.

“For Harry Maguire, he will only be thinking how he’s so far down the pecking order. I think Harry will have to consider his future at Old Trafford. He will be incredibly disappointed.”